CVE-2023-2504
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedFiles present on firmware images could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access as a root user using hard-coded credentials.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceHard-coded credentials embedded in firmware images allow unauthenticated attackers to gain root-level access to affected devices. This is a common vulnerability in embedded systems where credentials are left in firmware files during development.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 3.4= 2.6.2= 4.5.181= 4.5.196= 3.6.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed firmware versionAccess the device's web interface or use the command line (e.g., via SSH or serial console) and run: 'version', 'fw_printenv', or check the system information page in the web UI. Note the exact firmware version string.Affected if The installed firmware version matches 3.4 (A300), 2.6.2 (Mini), 4.5.181 or 4.5.196 (4k Quad), or 3.6.4 (Studio R3)
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Extract and inspect the firmware imageIf you have access to the firmware file (download from vendor support site or extract from device), use binwalk or firmware analysis tools to extract the filesystem. Search within the extracted files for strings matching common credential patterns like 'username=', 'password=', 'admin:', or hardcoded account names.Affected if Hardcoded credentials (usernames and passwords) are found embedded in the firmware binary or extracted filesystem files
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Check for enabled remote access servicesRun 'netstat -tuln' or check open ports on the device. Look for services like telnet (port 23), SSH (port 22), or HTTP (port 80/8080). Attempt to connect to telnet or SSH using any known default or documented credentials.Affected if Telnet or other remote access services are open and accessible, or authentication can be bypassed entirely to gain root access
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Review user accounts and authentication configurationExamine /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow (if accessible), or the device's user configuration files in the extracted firmware. Look for additional hidden accounts beyond the standard admin user, or accounts with UID 0 (root) that were not created by the administrator.Affected if Hidden, undocumented accounts exist in the system, or hardcoded credentials allow elevation to root privileges
A user is affected if their device runs one of the specific firmware versions listed AND contains hardcoded credentials that provide root access without proper administrator authentication.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataRemove all hard-coded credentials from firmware images, implement proper credential management, rotate exposed credentials, and verify authentication cannot be bypassed.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-2504 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-2504 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data